Our widow friends! We are grateful for these amazing strong, loving, wise women who touch our lives in so many ways. In spite of their loss, they reach out to us by sharing their time, their resources, and their long-life experience and knowledge. Their years are valuable for the sake of advise and counsel. Their warm hugs, gentle cheek kisses, good-natured smiles and their kind offers to pray are so appreciated and bless our lives.

My husband’s ministry to our church widows. It blesses my heart to see how eager he is to don his tool belt and head out to meet their household repair or landscape needs. Their sweet notes of thanks remind him how useful his ministry is.

The much-needed rain this week. I intentionally opened the bedroom window to hear the rhythm of the falling rain. I love the smell of the freshness of the air and to see the dust-covered, desert landscape cleansed and brightened. There is a peacefulness to soft summer rains.

The wonderful week we had last week with our daughter and grandson visiting from New York. We, again, so soon after their departure, are missing their presence. Missing our smiley-faced, good-natured grandson with his morning hugs and kisses, the toy-covered living room floor, our daughter’s great cooking and baking, the leaving of notes for each other on the chalkboard and whiteboard, our daily conversations about “Rosco”, grandpa’s pet fly (his whereabouts, and his offspring, ha!), our camera flashing off pics every few minutes, splashing and laughing times in the pool, and our wordless, smiling moments spent with those who matter most to us. Truly a memorable week!